lets go outside

I decided to wake up at my leisure and have a hearty breakfast..scrambled eggs with hot dogs, along with some buttery toast. And two large glasses of iced tea. It was now time to get on the trainer. I asked my husband to set up my bike/trainer in front of the t.v. for me..I couldnt be expected to do any additional work today. Once set up, I decided to change the incline to a downhill ride, again I didnt want any extra work. Once I began riding with zero resistance, it took me no time at all to realize this was going to be a whole lot easier than I anticipated. With no resistance, you just Fly! So after about a half an hour I changed to an uphill ride instead, that way I could spend more time sitting up, messing around with my cell phone during the ride. -Yesterday I had to preform a deadly operation on my phone, forcing all info out. All pictures, contacts, applications etc. So i thought i would use some of my bike time to get my phone back to the computer it should be.

Once I got the the end of hour two, I decided it would be time for my first break. I was really pushing the miles…well not exactly pushing, but again, the no resistance thing, I figure I was at least half way done. So I was, naturally, thinking about food..and lots of it. Carnitas was the dinner of choice! Ive never made it before, so i did a little research on my phone before I decided to hop off at the two hour mark. I used my break to go to the grocery store and get all the goods to make dinner…came home, got the meat started, made and ate some delicious guacamole. It was the best sag stop Ive ever been to.

Time to hop back on the bike..did another two hours, and thanks to the beer I had during my sag stop..I decided to take a nap. You can almost fall asleep on the bike when its in the trainer because you dont have to keep your balance. You also dont have to keep your eyes open…in which case, you actually do have to keep your balance. I was struggling with this so I decided to take another break. Oh, and after that first break, I did give myself just a hair of resistance, so I wouldnt get ahead of myself…you can really pedal a bit out of control without any resistance.

Nap time…awesome!1!

Really is there any other event in which you can just decide..Im gonna have a beer..and take a nap!? So amazing. Honestly, the rules for this thing are pretty lax, and I decided to use that to my advantage. It was great. So at this point I am on beer # 2, well rested and pretty ready to call it a day. Im gonna hop in the bike for one more hour and finish this up. Im excited to wear my shirt..even though, unfortunately it is, too small.

Here’s to Fatty, the livestrong foundation, and my friend W for showing me Fatty’s site. This was fun, and I will definitely be back next year..hopefully with more friends in tow. Success!!! Now I have another crazy story that I love…!! -loveeveryminute:)

Its a Triathlon weekend! I have got to stop thinking about it! The plan for the weekend is not even really set-and its Saturday morning. This is probably why I am freaking out a little.

Option 1: Stay home, take Advil PM while the sun is still out so I can get a decent nights sleep. Get up and on the road about 3 a.m. This means I will just spend the day thinking and stressing and getting nervous. I will definitely need to do something to keep my mind occupied.

There really is no option 2. I mean, I could go down to San Diego today, go to the expo and pick up my race packet. I would like to do this, but I have no interest in paying for a hotel room that I will have to leave at 4 or 5 in the morning.

So today I will spend some of my time tracking Fatty (Fatcyclist.com) as he attempts his first Ironman! In training he expected to finish the swim in 1:50ish, and he actually finished the swim portion this morning in 1:20! So I am trying to see this as good swim strength is in the air, so hopefully I will survive tomorrow. I have swam exactly one time since my last triathlon in October. It is now May. This is not smart. This is dangerous. I am nervous. Ack.

Well the swim is what it is at this point, so I want to work on something I can control, which is T1. Last October I did horrible in T1 and tomorrow I want to do better. The race belt is going to help! But the bike shoes might slow me down. I am still up in the air-trying to decide weather to leave my shoes clipped in when I rack my bike, so I can just put them on once Im on the bike, or to strap my shoes on my feet in transition. I am leaning towards just putting my shoes on my feet. I dont really want to run barefoot thru the gravel parking lot..ouch! I need to lay out all my transition gear on my bed and go thru it one final time just to make sure I dont forget anything.

Then ride…this should be interesting because last October I was on my old Target Schwinn mountain bike that weights about 95lbs. Now I will be on my 09 Novara Carema Pro road bike. My bike weighs in between 21 and 22 lbs. I anticipate flying thru the ride. Which makes me nervous because I am deathly afraid of getting a flat. Especially a rear flat. I have taken a class on changing a flat, and I have even practiced successfully in the bike shop. However, I dont think I can do it all by myself yet. If I get a flat, I will be toast. Cross your fingers for me, and I am really going to get some more practice in, on my own bike between now and september.

T2 should be easy. Hop off bike. Jog in and rack bike. de-velcro shoes. Sit on ground and tie up running shoes. Strap on I.T. Band strap, and put race belt on. ummm..Go? Oh, drink something while doing all this..and maybe eat some Gu chomps or some honey stingers. Okay now its the home stretch so just do it. I ran 6.4 miles last weekend so I had better not take any stinkin walking breaks tomorrow! Now for the fun part: eat a banana and drink some drink…go buy a t-shirt or a bracelet or something to commemorate this day. Hop in car and go to El Torito for Sunday brunch. That is really all I am looking forward to. Just eating and being able to say: “Yeah, I just did a triathlon…was it hard? oh no..not hard just a ton of fun.”

Nervous and for some reason I cant get off my ass and start setting up all my gear. Wish me luck.

100 miles of nowhere is quickly approaching! “What?”-you say. Its wildly bizarre and just crazy enough to get me, along with hundreds of other people really excited.

For me, it all began a few months ago when I was introduced to a quite entertaining blog, I would describe it as a comedic satire on cycling, cycling related topics and sometimes non-cycling related topics, that are just, in fact, related to the life of the cyclist. Get it? Okay good..I pride myself in my ability to be very clear about things. Your welcome.
So the blog is Fatcyclist.com and its hilarious and inspiring and real. The only real complaint I have about it is that Fatty(the author) does not post daily. He has a life..which, I suppose gives him things to blog about. While I understand him having said life, I just cant get enough of his humor, I have read thru the archives and just cant get enough. Im ready for Fattys book..hopefully that is in the works.
Okay so back to the 100 miles of nowhere whatever that is… Fatty had this idea a few years back to ride 100 miles in his rollers (basically same concept as a bike trainer..give or take a few details..like keeping your balance). Why? Just to see if he could. Its one of those things you just “get” and think is cool or funny, or you dont “get”. When you dont “get” it, it is really kind of hard to explain, but alas, Ill try.
He just wanted to see if he could. I cant really go into explaining his personal motivation, but I can sure go into explaining mine. See, Fattys wife Susan had cancer, and since he had a passion for cycling, along with a passion for hating cancer..he found a way to mix the two and got some fundraising going with the LiveStrong Foundation. Now, I was not a reader/fan of Fatty back then, and I only know all of this from reading the archives. (Reading about the last 4 years of this guys life over the course of just 3 days or so…Wow! It hits ya, ya know? He is strong and real and I really like the guy…stranger that he may be) Fatty has been pretty successful at raising money to fight cancer-which is awesome! His wife Susan has since passed away, and Fatty is still fighting..because cancer sucks!
So he did the 100 miles in his rollers, and blogged about it. Which, apparently proved interesting because the following year he did it again-only this time it became a real event! Thats right…there are a bunch of lunatics out there that are willing to pay money (which goes to Fatty’s livestrong foundation) to get a t-shirt and some other swag, then ride 100 miles on their trainers, or around their block! All on the same day. Sounds pretty stupid. But then again, it sounds pretty cool. Hmmm.
So now its the 3rd annual 100 miles of nowhere, and I have become a lunatic.
I am waiting impatiently for my race packet (package) to come in the mail. I am very nervous that I ordered my shirt too small. This shirt, for me is the Ultimate among race t-shirts. Its just the coolest one. For several reasons:
1. Only 500 people get one..which makes it kind of elite:)
2. It will be a conversation starter…most race shirts are..but this one will surely only start conversations will wildly crazy lunatics like myself who either recognize the shirt from his website, or actually read it and dare to ask what the heck its all about.
3. Its made by Americal Apparel and Twin Six, which are two cool brands…and the American Apparel part is what Im worried about. I didnt think about it when I ordered, but their shirts are super small…so I really hope my size small arrives bigger than a baby doll size.

So 100 miles to nowhere is an event, in which your race fees go to Fatty’s LiveStrong Foundation, you get to ride 100 miles (or 50 or 25…the rules are very lax) or run a set # of miles or swim..its really up to you. You get cool swag, and pick your own course!! All for a very good cause. So if this sounds exciting to you too..then you are super cool and you get it! and we should hang out more! And if this sounds stupid and crazy…and you think Im a lunatic, well you are normal and right:) You can stop by and see just how much fun I am NOT having when I ride this event, because..I can assure you, as excited as I am..I probably will want to shoot myself after about mile five on a trainer.

As the day is quickly approaching, I have to decide where I want to ride (or should I be saying, where I dont want to ride?). One option is the living room, in front of the T.V. so I can watch..what? It sounds like a good idea, but I cant really think of any shows I care about anymore…any suggestions? -And if you suggest, you must be willing to let me borrow said DVD’s 2 mondays from today. Option two is taking my trainer down to the beach and setting up somewhere I can see the waves. Im not sure if its possible to put my trainer on top of a beach blanket, on the sand, right down near the waves. I suppose I will have to move a few times as the tide changes?? I think this could be fun because I will be looking at the ocean (always amazing) and I might get some people come by and chat with me, helping the time go by. Then again, people might be scared to come near me because they will think Im a lunatic. Maybe I will make a sign that says; “I’m not a lunatic, come talk to me.” Except, that will probably just make people even more sure that I am, in fact, a lunatic. Okay maybe a sign that says; “100 miles of nowhere…cancer sucks…come talk to me.” I like this idea. Im wondering if a lifeguard, or a beach police person will come tell me to get away. Its a completely innocent thing to do..but I wonder if I will get kicked off the beach. What do you think? Ive considered doing something similar in a park with a lake, or some kind of nice view. Decisions.
Next I have to figure out what kind of food/drinks I want to provide myself with, as I will be providing my own race support for this event. If I hold the event in the living room, I have great access to the kitchen…which is awesome! But, I also have great access to the couch…which could be detrimental to my winning. Also, my cyclometer is hooked up to my front wheel, which, in the trainer, is stationary. So, it does not count in the trainer! Damn! Its okay though, I have already figured this out. Again, the rules are very lax, so I have already decided I am going to ride for a set number of hours. Somewhere between six and eight…to be determined before race day.
I have also considered doing a Tri to nowhere, as someone mentioned on Fatty’s blog comments. I could swim in the pool at the gym and get nowhere fast. Then I could come home, get on my trainer and ride nowhere fast…or slow..whatever. And then I could go back to the gym and run nowhere..or at that point walk nowhere. See…all you skeptics..weirdos are riding their spin bikes and running on their treadmills to ‘nowhere’ everyday at gyms across the country! Does’nt sound so lunatic-y when you think about it now does it?
So yes, I have lots of decisions to make and people to call and invite. Whoever actually does some of these miles with me will have a place in my heart forever. Whatever I end up doing, I’m sure it will suck..and I will have a too small awesome fatty t-shirt to show for it!

This blog is me. The good, the bad, the ugly and sometimes the irritable. It is my point of view, and most of the time its a joke. Humor does not always come accross evenly when read, but in my intentions..its there. I should not feel the need to write a disclaimer to my own blog, but I will anyway. Its supposed to be real and its supposed to be funny. Roll with it.

How to love the gym;

Please tell me because I cannot figure it out. In case you dont know me personally I will tell you that overall, I am basically a fit person. On a very basic level, my day job requires me to stand up, get down on the floor and climb up high shelves all day. This does work the quads. Okay after reading that you are probably thinking, “thats not fitness” and you are right, but I am just trying to make the point that I do not have a desk job, I have an active job for the fact that its indoors.

I completed my first triathlon this past October, and I am currently training for my first half marathon. I ride my road bike fairly often, depending on who you ask, but if you want a number, I do about a 50mile ride most weeks, but yes there are weeks that go by and somehow I don’t manage to get on the road once. I am one of those on again off again people when it comes to yoga, only because of the price and it not being located super close to my house. I am also a yoga snob-meaning I will only do yoga at a real studio-not the gym. I practice swimming, because I fully intend to compete in another tri, and I am just overall an outdoor active type of person. Oh, and I love to rollerblade. If you saw me you would say Im basically fit, that Ive got decent muscle tone when I flex, but not a lot of clear muscle tone when I dont. Ill just throw these numbers out there for the sake of me trying to keep up with, and what the heck, beat them. As of last week I have been sitting at a steady 106/107 lbs, with a body fat percentage of 16. I am 5’3″. I did go to vegas for 4 days last week, and ate, drank and gambled..so I am at 109 right this minute, but that wont last long.

Okay so why am I telling you all this? To paint you a picture, mainly a picture that I am not a fat slob, or an out of shape load of blubber. It has been starting to warm up here in SoCal and my training for the Rock and Roll half marathon in San Diego, well its getting slightly more difficult because of said heat. I have always hated gyms, because they are inside, boring and a concrete block of sukiness. However, this 1/2 is important to me and I thought that maybe I would give running *gasp* on a treadmill a try. As reluctant as I am about this, it seems necessary, because its only gonna get hotter. Now, understand please that I LOVE the heat, but its the running in the heat that is hard, especially when all of my running has been in what has been the coldest winter in memory for us here.

So I go to the local gym..I wont name it, but I will say that it is open all hours of the day..there, got it? I make an attempt to do a family add-on to my brother in laws membership. We go back and forth, because as expected the sales guy is trying to highball me on the price. He tries telling me all about some of the different things they offer blah blah blah. Im sitting here thinking; “I know what a treadmill is, and believe it or not I know what weights are too..duh”. The guy keeps going on trying to sell me a membership. What he doesnt understand is that if Im in there already, Im obviously sold on the whole gym thing, its just the price that I need to bring down. As Ive mentioned, I hate the gym, so its not worth a lot of my money. So he obviously sees that I am understanding his eliptical vs treadmill mumbo jumbo and here it comes, the comment that ensured I will never join this gym, just on principle. I do a lot on principle, sometimes to a fault because I will make my life more inconvienent just to make a point.

So the guy says to me..me the pretty fit girl..and I really am not trying to toot my own horn here, but I do get complements, and strangers have stopped me on several occasions to tell me they love my arms, or my legs (never ever my abs, never ). Friends will also compliment me this way, and while I believe I have lots of improvements to make in my tone and definition, its just matter of fact that I am decently fit. Okay so the comment; the guy says to me…”You look like a person who used to work out, you look like an ex-athelete. So Im sure you remember a lot about the different machines.” Did you hear that? “USED to work out”???? really, I, I look like a person who USED to work out? Um hello, but were you looking at a mirror my friend, or perhaps your own reflection in the glass surrounding this cubicle we are sitting in? Because dear salesman at blankblankhourfitness, you sir look like a person that USED to work out.

A very long time ago.

Okay, Ill say this again, because I am trying not to come off as someone who thinks she’s the shit, or whatever it is we think of women when they daresay anything positive about themselves instead of tearing down their bodies in public; but I am basically fit. And this salesman is on the south side of totally unfit. For whatever reason, I just dont like it when someone who is clearly obese, or otherwise fat (and p.s. if you have over 30% body fat..you are obese, and its high time we start saying it) starts giving me words and wisdom on diet and exercise. Drives me nuts.

So I am just irritated with this dude and I have half a mind to tell him to arm wrestle me, or go for a race with me outside..oh wait, this is a gym..they would probably discourage outdoor fitness. (people..you can be free; you can run and jump and play outside..shhh its a secret gyms dont want you to know) So while Im contemplating the arm wrestle, the bike race or even a lift off..I could easily beat him endurance wise, I wonder if I can get a better price if I beat him. I suppose not because he would have been totally humiliated by a little girl! HA! So, if this is how the salesmen are trained here..try and embarass or guilt someone into a membership..well it ain’t workin’ on me there buddy. I laugh in the face of the obese man who dare call me unfit. I left his office/glass cubicle room there shortly. I suppose I ought to have stayed awhile longer, to spare the next poor sap that gets stuck with this guy.

So, I really dont mean to be a snob here, but if I look like I work out more in a month than you have in the past ten years, you dont get to make comments to me about my level of fitness not being up to your indoor sucky standards. In case anyone was wondering, the unpredictability of an outdoor adventure ALWAYS offers more fitness than the mundane even floored, even tempo, no variable crap fitness you will get on an indoor machine. Always.

Ill buy some extra GU and plant a couple extra water bottles in bushes on my long runs…and Ill spend the $ the gym wanted on some sunscreen and a hat with vents.

Its constant and you have to put yourself in check about a hundred times a day. About a thousand if you hang out with the more toxic variety of people.

Today was a good day. Not all inside days are good..but an outside vibe was in the air today. It all started when my husband left about 6a.m. for his physical agility test for the Sheriffs Dept. (later in a text he told me it went well so yeah! go hub) I was lucky enough to fall asleep for two more hours then hop in the shower at 8. One of the best things about riding my bike to work is I have to wear a helmet (it protects your head, and basically your stupid and soon to be dead if you dont wear one..and no you are not cool if you dont. AND you can ride way faster with one one, without hesitation) and since I have to wear a helmet this means I GET to wear a hat once I get to work, which means not only do I not have to do my hair, I dont even have to blow dry it. Heck its so short right now, I can even get away without brushing it, sometimes I just run my fingers thru it and go! So I ride to work, go check out the hundred, hundred and fifty ot so people lined up from camping out for our sale and ride my bike in past them all, as if to say: “yes Im super cool because I have this super cool job and I ride my bike to work (sometimes) and you should come talk to me later, after you shop the sale because I bet we would have a lot in common and maybe even go on a ride or run together at some point in the future.” Long thoughts like this that go from one idea to the next are the general flow of my brain. So I got a bike trainer from the sale and thats all I really wanted because Im just SO jazzed up about the Hundred Miles Of Nowhere that Im doing to support the LiveStrong Foundation via TeamFatty. I highly encourage you to visit Fatcyclist.com. This guys blog is real life, real funny and real awesome. I plan on sharing my life with you like he has with us. It gets a lot deeper, and I feel grateful for having read it. Its amazing to know someone and never have met them. Its cool in a very unique way. And again GO TEAM FATTY.

If anyone wants to be on my crew and come ride the hundred miles of nowhere with me please let me know, Id be happy and honored to throw a little party/get together/ group ride thing from my living room. I bet it would be your first time doing something so strange. Maybe you can even donate a few bucks to Fattys livestrong foundation too. Just visit his blog, you will be hooked. More on Fatty later.

So in to work I go and boy of boy it is the mother of all busy. It is so fun when its like this because you come in contact with hundreds of awesome people. For example I met a couple of cyclists that actually know how to connect the upper santa ana river trail to the lower santa ana river trail, making for a 118mile ride. I have been trying to figure this route out for months. So they are going to email it to me! Yeah! Too bad I dont remember their names..but if in fact they do come thru with this email I will post the directions here for you too, so that you too may enjoy what Im sure will be a fun ride. Or at least a fun story to tell.

Like I said, it was the mother of all busy and it didnt stop until I did eight hours later. So my buddy from work talks to me for a little while about bikes and riding and such. This conversation was started since I was sitting on the office floor trying to figure out how to tighten the tension on my pedals. I had been told how, just had not done it myself yet so I thought it best to try it at work where I can easily ask for help should I need it. So this buddy..we will calm him “warm” because well thats sort of his nickname. Warm actually asks me a few questions about biking, and I actually teach him something, which is incredible because Im such a young rider..young to riding. So warm is going on a ride from SanFran down to our area..say Huntington on the coast and then another 30 miles inland or so. -ish. And just the fact that someone who is getting ready for that kind of ride is actually asking ME questions about riding, it thrills me to no end! Its so so fun to actually know something instead of being the girl who knows nothing all the time.

So warm and I sort of decide to ride on Wednesday..hopefully it happens.

Once I finally made it home I realized I had a pretty bangin’ headache, which makes since after the intensity of the day. Why is it that when I feel tired from work I look forward to my next day off so I can get some rest, but when I actually consider my options, rest seems like such a lousy way to waste my day off. When will I ever rest? Definetely not Monday, because Im am for sure doing 60, hopefully 70 miles Monday, and not Wednesday because hopefully I get to ride with Warm. Ill rest on the downhills:)

Going to ride the Santa Ana river trail monday. Plan is to park at yorba linda regional park, gear up and ride up toward the golf course. Turn around a head down to Huntington, lunch and back to the car. There is a side path right before you hit the ocean..I saw it last time and want to check it out..so maybe we can add a little bit of exploration. Plan to leave about 8am monday morning. Lemme know if u wanna join.

It’s always a fun day at work when you get to stare at an 80 year old mans hairy balls. Sometimes I really feel like Im on a hidden camera show with the funny shit that happens to me. So this man comes in, he is clearly a runner..he’s got his short old school running shorts on and running shoes, a red sweatband and his
Loma Linda Lopers running club shirt. You can tell he is a character right from the start. So he tells me he is going on a 7 day hike in the Sierras and he has never gone hiking and needs some boots. This is never easy..the way hiking boots go now days you have people hiking Whitney in their Converse..and taking their soles out. Then the next guy has been a boy scout all his life and wont go on a Nature walk without wearing what practically amounts to Mountaineering boots for fear that he might brake his ankles. So when you have never hiked before I have a lot of questions before we can get started. People always want the ‘best’ boot. There is no best boot, its whats best for you, your foot type, the way you walk, and where you are going. Okay but thats a subject for another day.

Okay so 79 year old runner about to embark on his first hike..a 7 day hike needs some boots. We talk running for a little bit, we talk hiking a little bit. I get to know this guy so I can pick him a boot. So he puts these boots on and of course just like every other novice hiker, he tightens the top part of the laces and leaves the rest all loose and just waiting to fail him on the trail. So..I being the proffessional I am-knowing what I may be getting myself into if I bend down to tie these shoes and take it..part of my job today. So I get down on the floor..I always prefer the floor to a bench..Im little and i need leverage to get these huge dudes ankles locked down into their boots. And now comes what we have all been waiting for..yes the 79 year old runner man is in fact, not wearing underwear. Lovely hairy balls not two feel from my face. I hold my breath because Im a little scared of breathing any stench in right now. So I tied this guys shoes, I taught him all about some techniques ang gave hime some tips. I kept waiting for one of my coworkers to come by and see what I was going thru..if only so they could enjoy a good laugh with me at a later time..but no, no one ever came. I had to share this experience only with myself. Sucks.

Next comes in the lady who doesnt like to shave her legs because as she says: “I retain water and it helps protect me.” WTF?? That one Im not quite sure about but okay..no biggie, you dont have to shave your legs..and you sure dont have to make up weird excuses to me about it.

Next comes in a lady who’s outfit looks about as close to Minnie Mouse as you can get..right down to the high heals with socks.

It was an interesting day…

I did meet a really cool chick right at the end, that helped me leave in a much better mood. She was a yoga instructor from Center of Gravity..and we knew a few of the same people. Props to all the legit yoga instructors out there that keep this world balanced.